Kauai United Way Cool Classics for Charity 2010 fundraiser at St. Regis Resort

Merriman's Fundraiser for Kauai United Way

Kauai United Way's 11th Annual Golf Tournament at Kauai Lagoons

Kauai Visitor Industry Charity Walk

Mayor's speech at the United Way Walk-a-Thon

What Kauai United Way Does

Kauai United Way (KUW) is an independent, IRS-certified, non-profit organization that has been dedicated to serving the social service needs of our whole island since 1943. Money raised on Kauai stays on Kauai.

Purpose
As our island's umbrella charitable organization, we provide an easy and powerful way for anyone - even those with limited financial resources - with an interest in helping the people of Kauai make a big impact in our community. With one contribution, a donor can feel great about helping out all the people of Kauai.

United, we make a big difference
Payroll deduction provides a convenient way for anyone to have a powerful, positive impact on our island. A few dollars a paycheck - even fifty cents - adds up! At the end of the year, small amounts of money compound into something substantial. Now multiply that by the thousands of people who care about Kauai and the result is a brighter community we can all be proud we had a part in creating.Learn more about how to contribute »

Kauai United Way adds value to each donation

» Allocations
Every year, Kauai United Way volunteers evaluate the social service needs of our island and direct the money raised, to where it will do the most good for our whole community. Kauai United Way maintains support for on-going programs; we also maintain enough flexibility to direct funding towards unexpected emerging issues that may arise in the community of our island. Funding goes to many well-known social service agencies on the island, but also to less well-known organizations that are providing vital services to our people. By carefully directing funding where it is needed most, this work adds value to every donation.What social service agencies does Kauai United Way fund?

» Agency Evaluation and Monitoring
We evaluate our agencies annually to ensure that meaningful services continue to reach Kauai people efficiently. Our unique overall perspective allows us to spot things that may be invisible within individual agencies. When we see duplications of service, we point them out. When we spot opportunities for collaboration between agencies, we help put them together. When we see inefficiencies, we help correct them. And when, on rare occasion, we find that an agency is no longer providing effective services to Kauai people, we protect our donors' money and discontinue funding. Money saved in this way is added to the next year's allocation, with interest.

» Education and Referral
In our many talks to community groups throughout the year, Kauai United Way teaches people about the social service needs on our island, the availability of programs to help people in need and about the importance of each of us to ensure that these services continue to be available to our families now and our children's families in the future. We remind people that when people in need in our community get the professional help they deserve, every single one of us is better off as a result. Our office frequently receives calls for help and we direct callers to programs designed to do so.

» Emergency Food & Shelter Program
This program is funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and administrated by local United Ways that are willing and able to do so. Kauai United Way uses our resources to manage this process, enabling tens of thousands of federal dollars to help Kauai people via KUW agencies and beyond every year.